Pikapi
by AoiroFox
Summary: One pokemon makes a decision that may change it's entire life. A single word is all it wants back...Er, yeah. xD It's not as bad as it sounds! ONESHOT.


**Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. Disclaimers are boring and they suck**

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Pikapi

"_Use Thunder!" Came the voice of my young trainer. I nodded, bunching my small muscles and leaping high into the air. The roar of the crowd was deafening; I was clearly winning this battle. Below me, a large Raichu was on it's four, panting and glaring up at me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and let the electricity explode from my cheeks. It was a direct hit, and as I landed lightly on the ground, I felt sure he would have fainted._

_However, I was wrong. As the dust cleared, I think just about everyone was shocked to see my opponent rise to his paws - shakily, but surely. Narrowing his dark gaze, he drew in a breath and leapt towards me. Before I knew it, he was above me, and in seconds I was trapped beneath a heavy body slam. I shrieked as my body exploded into agony, and I struggled to breathe even after his weight lifted._

_I wasn't so sure about winning anymore. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself onto my four. At once I knew I was in trouble. One hind leg wouldn't support any weight, and the taller I stood the harder it was to breathe. I had to stay of four paws, or else I wouldn't be able to move. Slowly, I raised my head. The raichu just stood there, a malicious glint in his eyes. He too dropped down from his hind legs. I guessed he saw it as a fairer fight. _

_Pokemon battles aren't as simple as they look. Sure, it's basically like this; You say the attack, the pokemon does it. The other pokemon loses hitpoints. One pokemon faints. End. But do people really understand all the pain involved? Surely they don't know the agony of breaking your bones, being burnt or electrocuted, or just being punched in the face, all for the sake of winning a single fight? For that's what we go through nearly every day of our lives._

_As I had been thinking, the raichu launched another attack. His tail shone with a metallic gleam, and I guessed it was iron tail. Shaking myself, I rolled to the side, slapping him with my own tail as he flew past. I let out a battle cry, electrocuting him slightly again._

_You see, that's the other problem with battling. Instinct. No matter how much suffering it causes, we enjoy it. We can't control ourselves - it was what we were made to do. That's why I hate instincts so much._

_I grit my teeth, struggling not to faint as he blasted me with his own thunderbolt. No! My trainer and I had worked too hard to lose now…_

…_But I wanted to stop…_

_No! Tearing myself from these thoughts, I spun around to face my foe for the last time. He, I could now tell, was as injured as I. One more hit, and we'd both be gone._

"_Quick attack!" My trainer again. Grimacing, I let out another cry and charged forwards on three legs. This was it. If I landed this hit, we'd be champions. Legends. If not…well, I'd rather not consider the disappointment._

_I heard the raichu's trainer shout, but it was too late. I hit him with full force, satisfaction clicking in my mind. I shrieked as I passed right through him._

_Double team, I thought, snarling. I looked up to see several Raichu, all with that same evil spark in their eyes. I growled angrily, leaping forwards in another quick attack. I picked one at random, bounding towards it at full speed. It disappeared the moment my forepaws touched it. _

_Only three left. I was about to go for the one in the middle, was a heavy paw struck my side. Howling my pain, I rolled to the side. I saw the raichu, recognising the attack as another iron tail. I snarled at him once before I was engulfed in blackness…_

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We were so disappointed, my trainer and I. After the battle, I was rushed to the poke enter, or so my fellow pokemon tell me. For three nights, I had lain unconscious in one of those cold, white beds. My trainer stuck my side.

When I finally opened my eyes, my first thought was the pain. The mind-numbing agony. For a moment, I just stared at the blurry mass before my eyes. But my vision cleared and I saw him.

My trainer looked as though he hadn't slept - when I think about it, he probably hadn't. His dark hair was messier than normal, and he had been sitting my the edge of my bed, head on his arms. He stared at me for a moment, too.

Then he smiled, but I could see the disappointment in his soft brown eyes. Placing one gloved hand on my side, he said, "Well buddy, we tried."

After that, I knew he was upset. He spoke to me, but not nearly as much as usual. In between conversations, he'd get this blank look on his face, and simply stare out the window. Why? Because there, in the distance, you could see the stadium we had battled in only days ago - the stadium where I lost.

That night, he slept with his head and arms resting on the end of my bed. By that time, I felt a little stronger. I pulled my self slowly into a sitting positions, a looked down at my body. What I saw made me gasp in surprise;

My right hind leg was tightly bandaged, as I suspected it would be. Several smaller dressings were placed in several places over my body, and my chest was bandaged too. I growled quietly, imagining what it would be like to see the raichu like this. Sighing, I lay back down to sleep.

Over the next few days, my trainer became quieter and quieter, though I grew stronger. A full week after, I was released from the Pokemon Center. I was still a little shaky on my paws, but my trainer always let me ride on his shoulder anyway.

His friends were staying in a motel not too far away, but we had to walk back there. On the way, my trainer began to speak, quite mournfully.

"We almost had it buddy," he sighed, scratching my gently behind the ears with one hand. "Nearly. We were so close…Can you imagine it? League champions…champions…" He trailed off, staring at the ground. He was walking slower. "I guess…I guess we're just not good enough…" There was a bitterness in his tone, and I knew I had let him down. I bent forward to nudge his cheek, but he didn't reply. We continued to the town in silence.

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That night, I snuck out. Oh, how terrible it felt. He had been relying on me, he trusted me - and I had let him down. I felt guiltier than ever before, and I had come to the only conclusion I could find - I would become stronger. Then we could re-challenge the League, next year, and win.

I walked into the woods, glancing around to make sure no-one had noticed me, but the only thing I could hear was the flutter of a zubat's wings. I slipped into the undergrowth. On and on a trekked, getting deeper and deeper into the forest. I entered a clearing, sighing that I had finally made it. A large, shining rock sat in the center, glowing in the pale moonlight. A caught glance of a ninetales' tail, slipping away from the rock. I had come to the right place.

I began to dig in the soft, moist soil near the rock. After a few moments, my paws hit something hard and smooth. Picking it up gently, I examined it. It was what I had come for. Walking a few steps back, I thought about what this would do. I was sure I wouldn't change that much - would I?

_No! _I thought sharply. I had to do this - for my trainer.

For my beloved Pikapi.

He deserved to win, just a single battle at the league. I could be strong- Just like my opponent had been. So, taking a deep breath, I pressed the Thunderstone to my cheek.

I shrieked as the pain overwhelmed me, and I fell writhing onto the ground. I felt my paws growing longer, my tail thinning. My ears shortened, becoming curved at the tips. Att the same time, I felt myself grow stronger. Then my precious yellow fur changed;

I watched my own paws turn orange.

The ordeal left me panting, and it was a while before I could must the strength to stand. I winced, but I was satisfied to feel a new strength in my limbs, and I flexed my muscles contentedly. I had done as I wanted. I raced back to the hotel, slipping inside.

I….I wanted to wake my trainer, show Pikapi what I had done for him.

Stepping up to his bed, I opened my mouth to say his name _Ash…_ I thought, _I have a surprise for you.._.

"Raichuri."

I froze, my body drained suddenly of any thoughts or energy.

I had given up my trainer, my partner, my friend -

I had lost my Pikapi.

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**Author's Note: Yeah, well it sucks. I even know that. Comment and Critique - but bear in mind that it's my first-ever pokemon fic, don't kill me. xD **

**I know Ash/Pikapi/Satoshi is OOC, and Pikachu probably is too. **

**KD **


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